Sister love

B has issues. Issues with sensitivity - emotionally and physically. She's coming along nicely in learning how to express herself in a healthy manner and today I was reminded that we just aren't there yet.

After A's softball practice, the kids were all playing on the playground. A accidentally stepped on B's hand. with. cleats. ouch. B was mad. Probably hurt, too. But mostly mad. Instantly hearing her screams, I came running across the park from the ball field and intervened. In a situation like this, the only thing that will calm B is usually holding her in a bear hug until she settles down. That's not an easy task. She fights hard. So I held her as she's yelling at her sister, "Come closer so I can hit you!" I tried to talk her through some of the techniques she is learning for exactly this purpose. Yeah, she wasn't having any of it today. She did manage one strong swing at her sister, right in the chest. The fit didn't end so it was time to go.

After gathering equipment and sisters, I was headed to the van. B was still throwing a fit and refused to come along. Sometimes this backfires on me, but I still try it, so I said "OK, I hope you're still here next week when we come back for practice again." As we kept walking, C brought her hands up to her face and sadly said, "I will miss her so much!" Isn't that sweet?

(I did explain to C that B would follow along; I wouldn't really leave her there. And for those who may be wondering about the hitting and the fit, yes there were consequences. We just don't discuss those sorts of things here. There are too many methods of parenting and discipline for everyone to approve of everyone else's methods. We discipline in a Godly and loving manner. The point being that it was addressed and does not need to be discussed in a public forum.)